Rail-joint.



No. 767,546. V

30 MODEL.

PATENTED AUG. 16, 1904. J. T. DAVIS.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED 8231224, 1903.

wifiesses.

. J de/7707.

Patented August 16;, 1904.

vUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN T. DAVIS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOCHARLES R. ALLEN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 767,546, dated August16, 1904.

Application filed September 24, 1903. Serial No. 174,467. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN T. DAVIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rail-joints; and my object is to furnish abetter support for the meeting ends of the rails, such support being ofa somewhat elastic character, so as to modify and reduce to a greatextent the battering action to which the ends of railway-rails areordinarily subjected.

One part of my invention applies to a connecting bar or tongue insertedin slots formed in the ends of the webs of the rails and projectingoutwardly on each side beneath the head. Another part of the inventionrefers to the combining with the rails and with such a bar of springfish-plates resting upon the base and bolted together through the web.'

This description should be read in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the meeting ends oftwo rails with my device in position. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of thetwo rails. Fig. 3 is a plan View partly broken away. Fig. 4 is across-section on m m of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a cross-section on y 1/ ofFig. 1. Fig. 6 is a perspective of the connecting tongue or bar.

The rails l 1 meet in the usual way, and the ends of their webs justbelow the heads are cut out, so as to form slots 2 2, which registerwhen the ends are brought together, as shown in Fig. 2. Aconnectingtongue, which is shown in detail in Fig. 6, is inserted in theregistering slots of the rail ends. This tongue has a middle web 3 andtwo side bars 4A, which are prolonged beyond the ends of said web, asshown. The middle web 3 fits the slots in the rails, and the side bars 4extend along the sides of the web beneath the head. The rails are thusconnected together where they meet without interfering with theirexpansion and contraction. The tops of the side bars A are formed at theproper angles to fit the lower surfaces of the heads of the rails, asshown in Figs. 4: and 5. The middle web bears at top and bottom in therail-slots, the side bars projecting outwardly, and these side bars aresupported by the two elastic fish-plates 6 6. These plates are of steeland are formed on curves in cross-section, so as to have a certainamount of elasticity. Their bottoms rest upon and substantially fit therail-bases, as shown. When in place, they are connected by bolts 7 whichpass transversely through them and the web of the'rail. The drawingpressure caused by the turning up the nuts on the bolts produces acorresponding pressure exerted in both directions in the springfishplates, and the upward pressure is exerted against the side bars ofthe connecting-tongue. Therefore at the meeting-point of the rails thereis a slight but sufiicient degree of elasticity, producing an elasticsupport where the greatest amount of pounding, battering, and wearingoccurs as the wheels of the trains pass'from rail to rail, and this isan evident advantage of my device.

I do not limit myself to the precise constructions, forms, orarrangements of the devices herein described, and shown in the drawings,as I desire to avail myself of all modifications and equivalents whichcomeproperly within the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with two rails slotted at their meeting ends, a tongueor bar located in the slotted ends, elastic fish-plates between therail-base and said tongue or bar, and bolts connecting sa'id fish-platesthrough the rail and adapted to put said fish-plates underspringpressure.

2. Arail-joint comprising the meeting ends In testimony whereof I haveaflixed my sigoftwo rails, having registering slots in their nature 1npresence of two Witnesses this 14th IO Webs, a tongue or bar set in saidslots and proday of September, 1903. jecring sidewise beneath the headsof the rails, 5 elastic fish-plates beneath the heads of the JOHN DAVISrails and the side projections of said tongue, Witnesses: and boltsconnecting the fish-plates through L. W. SEELY,

the rails.

F. M. BURT.

